This Strange Binding Glue
by TicklishOstrich
Summary: The former rugrats fall apart after Dil is gone. Warning: depressing read


**TicklishOstrich does not own the characters. TicklishOstrich** _ **does**_ **own some of the pain. Please read.**

Dil had just turned thirteen. There was a techno party thrown for him – set up by Tommy, Chuckie and the twins. Kimi had been busy during planning but stayed for the party; as did Susie. Angelica showed up with Harold near the end. Dil had gained a somewhat friendship with Sean, Justin and Kimi's ex Z. They showed up, as well. Dil had fun and made sure he thanked everyone.

A week later, Dil met up with some friends at the arcade. When Angelica was held up at work and couldn't pick him up, he met up with popular girl Savannah. Savannah was hanging out with her best friend Brianna in the parking lot. They were sixteen and Savannah had her car. A red lamborgini. Her birthday was six months ago. Angelica's was four. Susie and Brianna share a birthday the month after, in June.

Dil, Sean and Justin asked the girls for a ride. They agreed under three conditions. One, Savannah gets a date with Sean. Two, Brianna gets a date with Dil. Three, the toy chihuhua Justin had won in the arcade stays in the car. Savannah was still a major Senor Jumping bean fan, whose mascot was a Chihuahua. They agreed and piled into the car. Only two seats had seatbelts and the girls got those, up front.

The roof and windows were down and the radio was blaring. They were singing along to some recent pop hits with shades hanging lopsided on their faces. Savannah was driving and Sean found some beer bottles in back. During a song change, he asked about them, prompting Brianna to turn down the volume and Savannah to question him as a cop. Justin took the bottles and opened five by hitting them against the window pane. He passed them around and the music went back up.

Brianna's charm bracelet acidentlly hit the dial on the radio and an old Emica song was heard. Sean and Justin had already chugged their beers along with Brianna, and tossed them out the car. Dil reached over and cranked up the volume. Everyone was either sixteen or fifteen and Dil was only thirteen. He drank a little then waited aa while before emptying the bottle and tossing it with the others. Savannah drank a little more but followed in suit.

You're a friend to me

 _I'm a friend to you_

 _You brighten up my day_

When I'm feeling blue…

Dil loved this song when he was eight. Brianna hopped onto the section divider and let the wind blow through her hair as she sang. Justin brought out all the wrong notes, singing along. Dil joined in brightly, with Savannah complimenting him on singing good and actually knowing the words. When Savannah was twelve, she still went by 'Samantha' and was Angelica's best friend. They practically idolized Emica and even dressed like her.

When that song ended, an even older song came on. 'The Minis' by Taffy and the Saltwaters. Dil recognized the rhythm though the others did not. Sean reached up to change the dial when Dil stopped him.

"No way. This is my old babysitter's band. From when I was a baby."

He didn't know the words, none of them did. By the time it hit the chorus, it was a loud punk pop song and all five were jamming to it. Brianna was still standing on the section and by now Dil and Sean were standing on the seats. It was getting dark and the song was coming to its last chorus. Savannah noticed someone driving reckless up ahead and yelled for everyone to sit down.

Brianna turned and saw some swerving car and jumped down, trying to work her seatbelt. Justin reached over the seat to help. Savannah yanked on Sean's sleeve to get his attention. Sean immediately grabbed Dil's arm and both boys fell against the back of the car. Savannah turned sharply off the road and the two boys bounced out. The car hit a telephone pole and a gear box fell into the backseat.

The swerving car fell in direct line of the two other boys. Dil shoved Sean and was hit directly. Sean was hit in the face by the sideview mirror whereas Dil was straightforwardly run over. The car kept driving into an electric fence. Brianna was the first to recover. Her best friend Savannah had a sharp wooden stake protruding through the windshield and into her chest. Justin was unconscious from the impact and mild electrocution. She ambled out of the car, realizing her legs must be broken. Still, she crawled over to Sean to see only minor cuts and bruises, with pieces of glass in his face. Those two made their way to Dil, left in a mangled mess on the side of the road.

Sean was dizzy but able to stand. He found Savannah's cell phone and dialed 911. Several ambulances arrived for the kids. Savannah and Justin needed the most attention, followed by Brianna and Sean. Dil was pronounced Dead On Arrival.

A year had passed since the accident and a lot has changed. Justin was still in a coma and Savannah was forced to live in the hospital with artificial organs. She reverted back to her unpopularity name Samantha and regularly talked to Justin, claiming him as her only friend. Brianna is unpopular as well. Her legs were paralyzed from the crash and is now in a special wheelchair. She also wears special glasses, since she had been half-blind, due to shrapnel finding its way within her left cornea. Sean dropped out of school, blaming himself for his friend's death.

Angelica instead blames _herself_ for being too occupied to pick up her cousin. She has pushed herself away from all family and friends. She works at the same pencil-pushing dead-end job, torturing herself. She won't make friends and is currently blackmailing her boss so he can't fire her no matter how she acts toward her fellow co-workers. She has been calling many of them 'dumb babies' then resorts to self-harm when the offices close. She lives there and is getting her GED via internet.

Susie has pushed herself to only worry about graduating. She doesn't have any friends and spends her time filling out college applications and studying. She in enrolled into three college courses at three different schools while also dealing with her regular problems. At home, her mom has become ill and her dad is mad all the time. Edwin has come home to take over the household. Buster is off the grid and Alisa is busy with her two kids while her husband is away in Afganistan.

Chuckie is also a senior. He still works at the Java Lava with Betty. His dad became a nervous wreck after the incident, and was later admitted into an asylum in the next town, along with Howard. Kira tries to get her kids to share their feelings, but Chuckie only shuts down and Kimi resorts to violence. Kimi is a junior and the school bully. She has phony identification papers which allow her to work as a bouncer for a downtown strip club. She feels lost inside and acts out aggressively.

Lil is a sophomore. She has been kicked off the soccer team for low grades and bad sportsmanship. She goes by her first middle name, Marie, and spends most of her time holed up in her room or getting high beneath the school's football stadium. Phil dropped out last year. He found refuge at Angelica's old house, under Drew's rules. Charlotte worked the same as Angelica. She got her job back and is making Jonathan pay – placing all blame on him, since _he_ got Angelica the job at the partner company in the first place.

Grandpa Lou had a heart attack upon hearing the news of his youngest grandson. He died four days later, a few hours before the service. Lulu left the country. Boris and Minka had left the day of service. After a few months, Stu and Didi were pretending Dil was still there. Tommy grew worried for them, acting the way they did two years back, when Spike died. One day, Tommy came home from school. Stu was in the basement making toys and talking to imaginary baby Dil. Tommy could hear water running upstairs and could see water escaping from underneath the bathroom door.

Tommy had broken down the door to find his mom, fully clothed, at the bottom of the tub. A brick was placed on her chest and her wrists were slashed. A note was taped to the foggy mirror. A suicide note, addressed to Tommy and Dil. Tommy dialed 911. Both his parents were taken away and Tommy found protection under the Deville's house, in Phil's old room.

Angelica lives at work and was working on a GED. Samantha and Justin were no longer in school, living in the hospital. Sean has dropped out, now homeless. Brianna, Susie, Chuckie, Kimi and Lil are torn apart from their old lives. They still attend school and live at home. Phil has dropped out, living with Drew. Tommy still manages to go to school though his head is all screwed up. He lives with Lil and Betty. When Dil died, the rugrats have quickly learned he was the strange glue that kept them together.

I understand this was angsty. I have been under a lot of stress lately. Please review and help me not feel so down.


End file.
